One of the many great pleasures of playing golf is being able to commune with nature. Unfortunately, sometimes that also presents unexpected dangers. In Australia, golfers at certain times of the year have to be especially vigilant when in proximity to nesting magpies. In Florida, alligators can cast an unnerving pall over a round. Spanish star Pablo Larrazábal even had to plunge into in a lake when attacked by a swarm of hornets during the 2014 Malaysian Open.
The latest incident concerned an animal not normally noted for upsetting a round of golf.
According to a police report, the unidentified golfer was playing along the second hole of the Shore Road course at Winnapaug Country Club in Rhode Island one morning when a fox came charging from the woods, attacked him and bit at his pant leg. Several witnesses reported that the golfer used a club to push the animal away, but it responded with more aggression and attacked him a second time. He again used a club to free himself from the fox, this time striking and injuring its leg.
However, rather than backing down, the fox attacked a third time and was struck in the head with the club – and was dead when officers arrived. Westerly police captain Shawn Lacey said the attack led police and Department of Environmental Management officials to determine that it was likely related to the presence of the rabies virus. The animal was sent to the state, he said, and results verified the animal was rabid.
“There were clear indications that would lead one to suspect it was rabid, including the time of attack and manner in which the animal kept charging, but there are protocols in place that we must follow,” Lacey said.
